Administration of William J. Clinton, 1994 / June 27 have it if this passes is, to put it mildly, a stretch and ask them to make these decisions based of reality. on what is good for the health of Americans, As front-line providers, you know the truth. what is good for the economy of America, and You know the health care truth, and you know how it will affect your institution in terms of the financial truth. The significance, again, of health care and finances. If we can get beyond this meeting today is this to me. I spent a lot the politics to the reality, we can prevail here. of time in academic health care centers. I know And I want you to do that. You can do that. that the people who run them are both Demo- You can do that. crats and Republicans and independents. Maybe As much as any group in America—I don’t even some of them voted for the third-party know—when I started talking to Members of candidate last time. I know that the board mem- Congress, that’s the one thing I found that with- bers of academic health care centers are both out regard to their party, their philosophy, or Republicans and Democrats. I know that where their predisposition on health care reform, they they serve, there is almost fanatic support for all knew that they had a medical center in their them among people from all walks of life. In home State they were terribly proud of. other words, the American people, when they And so I ask you, as we close this ceremony deal with you in your communities and in your today, to commit to make a personal contact States, put politics behind and put health care and a personal appeal to every Member of the first and ask, what are the facts? What are the Congress from your State to put politics aside health care facts? What is the state of medical and put the health care of the American people knowledge? What is the financial truth? first. If we can do that, and if people understand If we could just get those three questions that you represent what is best in American asked and answered in the Congress of the health care and we can’t preserve what is best United States, we would get a health care bill unless we fix what is wrong and cover every- that covers all Americans. In other words, if body, that central understanding will carry the we could have people of both parties bring to American people to a victorious result. the deliberations of the law in Congress less We need you. You have done your country politics and more concern for health care, the a great service today. Please follow it up in way you do and the way you force people to talking firstly with the Members of Congress. deal with you just because of what you do, we Thank you so very much. would pass a bill in this session of Congress, with bipartisan support, that guarantees health care to all Americans. This surely is not a polit- NOTE: The President spoke at 12:22 p.m. in the ical issue. East Room at the White House. In his remarks, What I want to ask you to do today is— he referred to Dr. William Peck, dean, Wash- we’re all here today preaching to the saved, ington University Medical Center; Dr. Mitch as we say at home, and hoping that through Rabkin, president, Beth Israel Hospital; Dr. Mi- the magic of the media it will reach others. chael Johns, dean, Johns Hopkins Medical School; But I want to ask you to personally, personally, Dr. Herbert Pardes, dean, Columbia University commit that you will speak to the Members Medical School; and Dr. Charles Epps, dean, of the Congress from your State of both parties Howard University Medical School.

Remarks Announcing Changes in the White House Staff and an Exchange With Reporters June 27, 1994

The President. Good afternoon. Today I want In the coming months, this White House to announce some changes in personnel in the faces a series of major challenges that are critical White House that will add strength and vitality to the American people. In Congress, we’re to this White House and to our administration. seeking to pass the first major health care re- form in history, a sweeping crime bill, a signifi-

1147 June 27 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1994 cant trade bill, a reemployment act, lobbying that has endeared him to many good people and campaign finance reform, and welfare re- here and throughout the Nation. And I thank form. We’re seeking to pursue our continued him for his service. efforts in economic reform and deficit reduction, I am delighted today to say that producing now 7,000 jobs a week. Overseas we will succeed Mack as White House Chief of face serious issues well-known to all of you. Staff. Over the past year and a half, he has We’ve embraced an agenda that is not only been a pillar of strength for our administration. daunting but profoundly important to the Amer- In the early days, he was a prime architect of ican people. To meet those challenges, here at the economic strategy, an integrated plan that the White House we must use our people as reduced the deficit and laid the foundation for wisely as possible, matching their talents to their sustained economic growth. Then he took the responsibilities. lead in formulating and gaining passage of that More than a month ago, my Chief of Staff, deficit reduction package, the largest in the his- Mack McLarty, started some discussions with tory of our Republic. He will go down in history me on ideas that he had for a better deployment as the Budget Director who began to slay the of our people. These provided the basic frame- deficit dragon. work for the decisions I announce today. I came In an era of tightening budgets, he also found home from D-Day determined to proceed with ways to fund many of my initiatives to put peo- these changes. He and I worked with the Vice ple first: education, job training, and technology. President and others on these recommendations, He’s worked closely with the Vice President in which I am pleased to announce today. reinventing the Government. He’s been an inno- Today I’m naming Mack McLarty as Coun- vative adviser in drawing up a host of domestic selor to the President. He has been and will policies. And he has been a skillful manager continue to be my closest and most trusted per- of the more than 500 people who work under sonal adviser. His new role will permit him to his leadership at OMB. As the good citizens spend much more time as my personal rep- of Rome have learned, he also speaks pretty resentative to the people who are so important good Italian. [Laughter] No one in Washington to the success of this administration’s efforts, has a better understanding of both ends of Democrats and Republicans in Congress, con- Pennsylvania Avenue than Leon Panetta. And stituent groups of all kinds, friends who helped no one has earned greater respect at both ends. to bring me to the White House. In addition, I am also announcing today that I will nomi- I am asking him to assume greater responsibility nate to be the next Director of in shepherding our legislative program through the Office of Management and Budget. She has Congress, including GATT, health care, and wel- been a superb deputy at OMB. She’s played fare reform, and to help lay the groundwork a major role in helping to run that organization for summits this year with the Latin and Asian and in chairing the President’s Management leaders. Council and in gaining congressional approval Mack McLarty has served this country ably of our budgets. and well as Chief of Staff for 18 months. He She brought with her to this administration was reluctant to take the job, and I will always a long and distinguished record. She was, of be grateful that he did. He selflessly agreed course, the founding director of the Congres- to serve the country, and I would say he has sional Budget Office, serving there for more a record he can be proud of. We had the most than 8 years. And she’s written pathbreaking productive first year of working with Congress studies of fiscal policies while at the Brookings of any administration over three decades; the Institution. Economists have recognized her sparking of an economic recovery; 3 years of leadership and her brilliance, electing her in deficit reduction for the first time since the Tru- the past as president of the American Economic man Presidency; breaking gridlock on the Brady Association. In short, OMB will continue to be bill, family leave, assault weapons, and other in very good hands. issues; progress in pushing historic plans for Finally, I want to announce a shorter term health and welfare reform. He’s run an open assignment. For the past year I have drawn White House, treating others and their ideas heavily upon the counsel of . He with unfailing courtesy. He has, in short, deliv- has been a wise and steady voice for bipartisan- ered with the decency, integrity, and goodwill ship, for moderation, and for an effective Gov-

1148 Administration of William J. Clinton, 1994 / June 27 ernment. It has been widely understood that And I guess one question is, how do you feel he anticipates returning to the private sector about that criticism of Mr. Panetta’s economic in the next few months. I have asked David policies? Will there be a tension now between to stay on for the remainder of the year and your political staff? And how do you feel about to concentrate his full energy in the foreign the decision to have yet another of your close policy arena. Arkansas friends take a step either out or down? On several occasions in the past, and more Sideways? and more in recent months, I have found him The President. He’s not going anywhere. He’s helpful in the formulization, conceptualization, my closest friend. And I don’t want to get into and the communication on national security that. I can win that argument. But I can’t com- matters. I now want him to play a larger role, ment on Mr. Woodward’s book. I don’t—‘‘docu- joining my team as a principal adviser in this mented’’ may be too strong a word, but I think field. Other members of our foreign policy team that everybody who’s worked with Leon Panetta have expressed their enthusiasm, and David has has a great deal of respect for him. I thought graciously agreed to serve as a special adviser that the transition debates we had over eco- to both the President and the Secretary of State. nomic policy were good, helpful, and appro- Taken together, I believe these appointments priate. We were trying to turn a country around will produce a stronger, more energetic, and after going 12 years in one direction. a unified team for the administration and for He will go down in history as the OMB Di- the daunting challenges ahead. rector that did, I think, virtually the impossible, I thank all of them for their willingness to not only produced the biggest deficit reduction serve. I’d like now to ask them each in turn package in history, the first two budgets to be to make a few remarks, beginning with Mr. adopted on time in 17 years, 3 years of deficit McLarty. reduction in a row for the first time since Harry [At this point, Thomas F. (Mack) McLarty, Leon Truman, the first reduction in domestic spend- E. Panetta, Alice M. Rivlin, and David R. ing, discretionary spending in 25 years but, in Gergen made brief remarks.] spite of all of that, substantial increases in Head Start, job training, other education investments, Q. Mr. President, despite musical chairs, this and new technologies, the things that I ran to may be viewed as a repudiation of your team do: bring the deficit down, get the economy and what you’ve had so far in the Presidency. going, invest in people. So I think—he’s clearly The President. Well, I long ago gave up trying done what I wanted to do. I signed off on to determine how it’s viewed by other people. those decisions, I think he’s done well, and I All I can tell you is, I think it’s a real tribute think he’s done it with a very effective manage- to Mr. McLarty that he came to me several ment style. I feel a high level of confidence weeks ago and suggested that we consider this in him. and even mentioned Leon’s name to me, and Q. Mr. President, I’m not clear on what we began to talk about it. I think the job of you’re trying to fix. What wasn’t happening—— the President is to make the White House as The President. He is a former Republican, effective as possible, which means you have to and I’m a Baptist. We set great store in death- use the people at their highest and best use. bed conversions. [Laughter] To me, that makes I think that’s what I’m doing. I also think it’s— him even more valuable as a Democrat. I’d like someone might question the decision in light to have more people do the same thing. of the successes that have been chalked up. Q. Mr. President, what are you trying to fix? I think we have done a good job with a huge What wasn’t happening that you want to hap- agenda; I think it’s getting bigger and more pen? complex. I think that this is the right thing to The President. I think you should let our do at this time, and I think it will pay off. words speak for themselves. I was trying to think That’s all I can tell you. My job is to do the of how I could characterize this. This is really best I can by the American people and let oth- an attempt to do exactly what I said: find the ers do the interpreting. highest and best use for talented people of good Q. Mr. President, recently there was docu- will who just want to serve their country. And mented in Bob Woodward’s book a lot of criti- this shows you what a sports—I don’t like all cism of Mr. Panetta from your political advisers. the time politicians making sports analogies, but

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50 years ago, Army had an all-American back- weeks and months ahead, we’ll see it proved field of Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis. And out. one was called Mr. Inside and one was called Thank you. Mr. Outside, reflecting that they had different skills, but they were both all-Americans. I think that’s what we have today, and I think it’s the NOTE: The President spoke at 3:16 p.m. in the best thing for the country. And I think in the Oval Office at the White House.

Remarks to the White House Conference on Africa June 27, 1994

Thank you very much, Mr. Vice President. needed attention to Africa. But we also needed Ladies and gentlemen and distinguished guests, to bring the best minds in our country and thank you so much for participating, and thank around the world together to try to learn and you for your understanding of our tardiness here to grow and to develop a policy that would today and for waiting so that I could at least make some sense and really had a chance to share a few of my thoughts on this subject. unleash the human potential of the people of When I became President, it seemed to me the African continent in ways that would lead that our country really didn’t have a policy to- to a safer and more prosperous world, a better ward Africa, that we had policies toward specific life for them and a better life for us. countries and very often we tried to do the I wish very much that I had had the chance right thing. We did have a policy toward South to just sit here for the last couple of days and Africa that had been the subject of much divi- listen to all of you. I never learn anything when sion and then was the subject of a lot of unity I’m talking. And I know I need to learn a lot. after the election. But it occurred to me that I was so jealous when the Vice President told we were really suffering from having paid insuf- me he actually got to come and sit in on one ficient attention to the entire continent as well of the seminar sessions and to listen to your as to various regions and specific countries and wonderful speech, madam, and we thank you specific problems and certain great promise. for coming. But I assure you that I will follow And it became crystallized for me in a way the results of this conference very closely. in our involvement in Somalia, which I will al- Africa matters to the United States. It has ways believe was a well-motivated and good to matter to us. And the things we want to thing to do that saved hundreds of thousands do, they sound so good, but we know they’re of lives but which was presented, I think, quite hard to do: to have sustainable development, honestly but wrongly to the American people to have reasonable population growth, to stop as something that could be done on a purely the environmental decline, to stop the spread humanitarian basis, when in fact, unless human of AIDS, to preempt ethnic tensions before they tragedy is caused by natural disaster, there is explode into bloodbaths, to protect human no such thing as a purely humanitarian enter- rights, to integrate the rich and wonderful spir- prise. itual heritage of Islam with the demands of And as we dealt with that and dealt with modern states and the conflicts that must be the complexities of trying to hand over power reconciled in peaceful ways. These are not just to the United Nations mission and the question conceptual, these are practical problems, not just of how long was long enough and what the for Africans but also for Americans. U.N. could do and what our responsibilities For decades we viewed Africa through a cold were as a police force, in effect, after the Paki- war prism and through the fight against apart- stani comrades in arms were killed there and heid. We often, I think, cared in past years dealing with all the various interpretations which more about how African nations voted in the could be given to those roles, it struck me again United Nations than whether their own people how we needed good intentions in Africa. We had the right to vote. We supported leaders

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